From: Transform Ukraine By Douglas Landro / September 16, 2025
As Russia Escalates Rhetoric Against NATO While Staging Military Exercises, Ukrainian Forces Strike Deep Into Enemy Territory and Military Leadership Undergoes Changes
Summary of the Day – September 15, 2025
September 15 witnessed Russian officials claiming “NATO is at war with Russia” while Ukrainian forces struck the massive Kirishi oil refinery over 800 kilometers from the border, sending global oil prices climbing. Russian and Belarusian forces continued their Zapad-2025 military exercises under U.S. military observation, practicing nuclear-capable missile deployments near NATO borders. Ukrainian forces cleared Russian troops from Pankivka village in Donetsk Oblast while facing continued infiltration attempts near Kupiansk. The day concluded with Russian strikes killing at least five civilians and injuring 56 others across Ukraine, including a late-evening attack on Zaporizhzhia that wounded a 4-year-old girl.
Empty Bluster: Russia Claims NATO “At War” Despite Military Struggles
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declared on September 15 that “NATO is at war with Russia,” claiming the alliance is “de facto involved in” the Ukraine conflict by providing military support. “NATO is at war with Russia; this is obvious and needs no proof,” Peskov stated during his briefing.
Russian Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev warned that any NATO “no-fly zone” over Ukraine would “mean only one thing — a war between NATO and Russia.” Medvedev also threatened that Russia would “go after” EU states providing Ukraine with loans backed by Russian assets “in all possible international and national courts,” adding that “in some cases, [Russia will] bypass court procedure.”
Both officials condemned European efforts to seize frozen Russian assets, with Peskov warning that “such steps will not go unnoticed.”
The Theater of Strength: Zapad-2025 Under International Scrutiny
Russian and Belarusian forces continued their Zapad-2025 joint military exercises on September 15, with U.S. military representatives observing the drills. The exercises included concerning elements near NATO borders, with Russian forces practicing deployment of nuclear-capable Iskander-M ballistic missile systems in Kaliningrad Oblast, which directly borders Lithuania and Poland.
The Russian Northern Fleet’s nuclear-capable Arkhangelsk submarine practiced launching missile strikes against naval targets in the Barents Sea, which borders NATO member Norway. Russian Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bombers patrolled “the neutral waters of the Barents Sea” for four hours, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
Voice of Ukraine 